Flipping Laboratory Sessions in a Computer Science Course: An Experience Report

Abstract

Contribution: This article presents an experience report on the application of flipped classroom (FC) to the laboratory sessions (henceforth lab sessions) of an undergraduate computer science course. Background: Hands-on work in computer science lab sessions is typically preceded by technical instructions on how to install, configure, and use the software and hardware tools needed during the lab. In the course under study, this initial explanation took between 14% and 50% of the lab time, reducing drastically the time available for actual practice. It was also observed that students missing any of the labs had trouble catching up. Intended Outcomes: The application of FC is expected to increase the time for hands-on activities, and improve students' performance and motivation. This improvement is expected to be more noticeable in those students who are unable to attend all lab sessions. Application Design: The study compares the application of FC and a traditional methodology. It encompasses two academic courses and involves 434 students and six lecturers. Findings: The FC is suitable for lab sessions in computer science. Among other results, flipping the labs resulted in 24 more minutes of practical and collaborative work on average at each lab session. It was observed a significant improvement in the motivation of students, with 9 out of every 10 students preferring it over traditional methodologies. Also, the FC made it much easier for students to catch up after missing a lab, making the final grades less dependent on lab attendance.